"Fear Me'' face paint gets Butler some love on ESPN, but who is he kidding?

NEW YEAR'S DAY, El Paso, Tex. ... couldn't sleep last night. Tossed and turned, wondering what kind of a hit I was gonna take on my Mastercard when the Courtyard Marriott totaled up the damages after one week.

... noticed that traveling partner Ken Goe actually filed an entry at 4:27 a.m. ... I ushered in 2009 (Texas time) by watching episode after episode of Entourage on HBO. ... when 2009 arrived in Portland, I was trying to sleep. ... I wondered what the body count would be in the El Paso Times' report in the game, because I think a couple of Pitt QB Bill Stull's incomplete passes injured spectators in the 10th row. ... there were a lot of OSU fans there, more than I expected. And they were happy, even if it was the sixth lowest-scoring major college bowl game in history.

I can't get a couple images out of my mind from yesterday.

A moment in time that Beavers' defensive end Victor Butler will remember forever ... he holds the Sun Bowl MVP trophy, with coach Riley looking on.

1. The way Mark Banker's defense performed against a Pitt offense that has some weapons.

2. The night-and-day difference in the OSU offense without the Rodgers brothers.

3. The raw emotion on TB Jeremy Francis' face, tears streaming down his cheeks, as he talked about his mom back home. .. Marilyn Scott, if you are reading this or if someone you know is reading this, get well soon. .. your son was terrific in that game. ... you would have cried if you had watched that scene outside the interview tent, when coach Riley wrapped his arms around Jeremy and gently kissed him on the cheek.

That kind of moment doesn't really translate in print, and I wish the O. had a picture of it, but even then it wouldn't be the same. ... point is, Francis' appreciation for the players on this 2008 team and his genuine love for the coaching staff isn't an isolated thing with this group. ... yes, it's a little over the top because we're just talking about a bunch of college football players here, but there really is something about Riley's program - the closeness, the family vibe - that makes it different. ... when somebody like Slade Norris tells me, unprompted, that Riley is like "a second father'' to him, I take note.

Laughed out loud last night watching the ESPN report on OSU's 3-0 win over Pitt as it showed MVP Victor Butler with his FEAR ME eye black. ... if you follow this team, and if you know Vic, you know that he's a pussycat off the field, a gentle guy with a quick smile and an awesome sense of humor that he gets from his stepdad, Elvester Strong. ... Elvester DROVE to El Paso to see Vic play against Pitt.

I had the privilege of spending 30 minutes or so on the phone with Elvester before the Sun Bowl. He was in-between wine deliveries in the Rialto, Calif. area. ... he told me about meeting Vic's mom when both of them had just come off nasty divorces, and how their combined family totaled eight kids. .. he told me that Vic was athletic from the get-go "I never saw a kid crawl so fast!'' he said, but Vic may not be the best athlete in the family. All of the kids are good in sports. ... he spoke of spending his own money to fly to Oregon to meet with Riley when Vic was choosing a place to play after being under-recruited as a senior. .. .Elvester and Vic sat down at a Mexican restaurant on Ninth Street in Corvallis and Vic declared, "we don't need to make any more trips. I want to play here.''

On that day, in that restaurant, Victor Butler told his stepdad of his hopes and dreams, his wish to become a great college player, one of the best in the Pac-10, and play in the NFL. He had those goals before he set foot on the field for OSU, and now look. ... first-team all Pac-10, MVP of the bowl game, and a possible OLB at the next level. .. Elvester is so proud of what Vic has accomplished, it comes across even in a phone conversation. ... I can only imagine what he was feeling yesterday, when the kid was holding up that MVP trophy. ..

And you know what? In typical Butler fashion, he was more worried about teammate Slade Norris getting recognition after the game than he was holding court in front of the TV cameras in the interview tent. ... at first, Vic wouldn't step on the stage. He told Norris to get up there. ... the two of them have become best friends. "Ebony and Ivory,'' said Vic, laughing.